Analysis: How vital is a wine qualification?

Susanna Forbes launches British drinks website

A website dedicated to showcasing British drinks and promoting the best places to visit has been launched by industry journalist, Susanna Forbes.

Slurp sells out of wine with email voucher campaign

Michael Mondavi wines go on sale through Bibendum

Chile Summit secures expertise of leading MWs

Two Masters of Wine - Peter McCombie and Peter Richards - will be sharing their expertise on Chilean wine in a series of exclusive masterclasses at the Harpers Chile Summit on Monday, November 22.

Eristoff ramps up advertising with £250k spend

Pig in a Poke signs up with Dating in the Dark

Pig in a Poke has signed a deal with Living TV to be the official wine supplier for the next series of Dating in the Dark.

Sterling edges up after unemployment benefit claims fall

Sterling edged up yesterday after an unexpected drop in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits.

Get involved with wine qualification debate

For the wine trade a WSET qualification has long been highly sought-after ? but this week Harpers checks out whether the next generation of wine movers and shakers feel the same.

In our analysis, we discovered most wine industry professional still value the WSET certificates. But the blogging community, according to blogger Robert McIntosh of wineconversation.com, points out that having a slightly different view point ? one that's not so "standardised" ? can be healthy.

Since our digital edition was published Twitter has come alive with interested parties calling for it to be available on the website so that it can be discussed.

Please tweet your comments using #HarpersWineWSET.

Spirits producers in sensible drinking pledge

European spirits producers have pledged to step up their efforts to promote sensible drinking.

Jameson Cult Film Club returns

Irish whiskey brand Jameson is again using film as a way of engaging with its audience.

Cheval Blanc smashes wine auction record

An imperial of Cheval Blanc 1947 has broken the record for a price paid for a single bottle at auction.

Napa Valley winery overwhelmed by debt

California's Cosentino Winery has ceased trading after failing to secure extra finance to cover its debts.

Sterling falls sharply due to talks of further quantitative easing

Sterling fell sharply yesterday after Bank of England governor Mervyn King signalled that the Bank of England could launch a further programme of quantitative easing if needed.

The Macallan sets record for most expensive whisky sold at £288,000

Christie's NY wine sale raises $3.6 million

Pre-tax profits down at pub chain Enterprise

Pre-tax profits at pub chain Enterprise Inns, which operates around 7,000 pubs throughout the UK, fell from £208m to £175m while profit after tax rose from £6m to £26m.

Concern over Irish debt takes sterling to seven-week high against euro

First Drinks invests in research to help retailers drive profits

First Drinks is investing in a research programme to help retailers drive future profits.

Ireland's debt sees sterling hold firm against the euro

Sterling slipped against the US dollar yesterday but held near to a seven week high against the euro as concern over the debt situation in Ireland hampered the single currency's prospects.